Mikael Lustig has urged Celtic manager Neil Lennon to hand him his Old Firm
debut this weekend.

The Swedish defender is desperate to experience the famous fixture first-hand when Rangers come calling at Parkhead on Sunday.

Celtic may already have been crowned Clydesdale Bank Premier League champions but Lustig knows the all-important bragging rights will still be up for grabs and is keen to play his part. He told Celtic View: “You always want to play in the derby and I would love to play this weekend but it’s up to the gaffer.

“We still have a lot to play for even though we have the league title now, we don’t just play for ourselves. This is a really big game for the fans as well so we will be giving 100 per cent.”

Lustig has looked on from the stands for the last two Old Firm derbies. He signed a pre-contract agreement with Celtic in November, before his arrival on Jan 1, and watched as Celtic beat Rangers 1-0 in a festive meeting. He then took his place among the away support for last month’s clash at Ibrox, when Ally McCoist’s men won 3-2.

Lustig said: “I was in the stand watching the first game and it was amazing. I heard the derby would be really special. When Henrik Larsson was at Celtic they showed the derbies back in Sweden so I had seen the games before – but it was even more special than I had imagined.”

Lustig’s early spell at Celtic was hampered by injuries, before having to force his way into manager Neil Lennon’s plans once fully fit.

He has now made four appearances and is relishing the prospect of experiencing the Parkhead atmosphere again after making his home debut against St Johnstone this month.

He said: “It was a good atmosphere that afternoon and I thought the Celtic fans were really good.

“The defence was really good in the first half of that game but offensively we lacked a bit. It was nice to win but it was one of those games in a season where you have to grind out a result.

“It was special to be playing in front of our home fans for the first time and it’s a part of my career that I will never forget.”

Meanwhile Victor Wanyama has backed Lennon to be crowned Manager of the Year after his manager was named on the shortlist for the Cheque Centre PFA Scotland award.

Lennon was unveiled on Wednesday as one of the three nominees along with Motherwell’s Stuart McCall and Derek Adams at Ross County, with the winner to be announced on May 6.

Wanyama said: “He deserves it. He has been outstanding this season. He has worked hard for the team and I think he should win it. He is a big motivator. He has passion for the game and it’s easy working for him.”

Lennon has had a number of run-ins with the Scottish Football Association this season.

Asked if he felt the manager’s “passion” is misinterpreted at times, Wanyama said: “For us, we don’t think he gets angry. It’s just the passion. He just loves the game so much.”

The SFA confirmed on Wednesday that Calum Murray will referee the Old Firm derby after Craig Thomson was forced to pull out of the clash due to family reasons.

Murray also officiated the last meeting with Rangers, which saw Lennon sent off at half-time and Wanyama, Cha Du-Ri and Ibrox defender Carlos Bocanegra all handed red cards. However, the Kenyan has no issues with the referee officiating Sunday’s game at Celtic Park.

Speaking on Radio Clyde, he said: “I don’t want to comment on the referees. I know for sure the referee will come and have a good game so I don’t want to make any comments about the referee.”

However, Wanyama was keen to stress he is not a dirty player despite his challenge on Steven Whittaker which led to his dismissal in the 3-2 defeat at Ibrox last month. He said: “I was just unlucky because my timing on the tackle was wrong. But I am not a dirty player.”

Rangers’ Steven Naismith is determined to return from injury even better than before – but admits he does not know whether his comeback will be before the end of the season.

The 25 year-old was ruled out for the rest of the campaign after suffering anterior cruciate ligament damage in a Clydesdale Bank Premier League game against Aberdeen in October.

He said: “Things have gone well and I’ve upped my training now so that I’m doing the majority of things. I’ve not done a lot of contact stuff with the physios or the other boys who are coming back from injuries as that’s the next stage.

“I’m hopeful I’ll be back training normally before the end of the season but we’ll need to wait and see if I get game time or not. From a professional point of view, it’s probably safer to wait until next season but I’ve missed it for so long and I’m dying to get back on the park again.”